In the Old English epic Beowulf, the Geatish king who is Beowulf’s uncle is Hygelac.
Beowulf is a Geat, a people associated with what is now southern Sweden. Hygelac is their king and the brother of Beowulf’s mother, making him Beowulf’s maternal uncle. After Beowulf returns from Denmark, Hygelac rewards him for his service and successes.
The poem later describes Hygelac’s death during a raid against the Franks and Frisians. Beowulf survives the defeat and eventually becomes king of the Geats after the deaths of Hygelac’s son Heardred and other heirs.
Readers sometimes confuse Hygelac with Hrothgar, the Danish king whose hall is attacked by Grendel. Hrothgar is Beowulf’s lord and host during the early part of the poem, while Hygelac belongs to Beowulf’s own Geatish royal family. Hygelac is also mentioned in other early medieval sources, including Gregory of Tours’s history.